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Highlights from Sebastian Kurz's Keynote Speech on EU-Israel Relations and Jewish Life in Europe
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Daniel Schwammenthal Calls for EU “Diplomatic Strike” Against Iran
Speaking at a conference in the European Parliament, AJC Transatlantic Institute Director Daniel Schwammenthal called for a “European preemptive strike, not a preemptive military strike, but a preemptive diplomatic strike.” Hosted by Austrian MEP Lukas Mandl und organized by the Brussels...
Making Ignorance a Virtue
McGill University’s student government condemned a Jewish student leader for accepting an invitation to travel to Israel and the Palestinian Territories, but said nothing about his fellow student who isn’t Jewish. The victims of BDS, it seems, are the students and the state of higher education in North America, argues AJC’s Global Director of Young Leadership Seffi Kogen in The Forward. After all, when it comes to Israel, “illiteracy becomes a virtue, and students who seek to learn are ostracized and shamed.”
How can Europe Help Prevent the Next Middle East War?
When Iran’s proxy Islamic Jihad fired hundreds of rockets on Israel, Jerusalem’s measured response helped prevent the conflict spin out of control. To discuss how EU diplomacy can help prevent a future Middle East war with mass civilian casualties, host Michael Sieveking is joined by MEP Lukas Mandl, who had just returned from a visit to the region, and Brigadier General (Res.) Assaf Orion, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Israel.
Is Denying Israel’s Right to Exist Antisemitic?
Who better to weigh in on antisemitism than Jews? AJC Chief Advocacy Officer Daniel Elbaum presents in The Times of Israel AJC’s just-released landmark survey of U.S. Jews: 84% believe the statement “Israel has no right to exist” is indeed antisemitic. Over 80% said the BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) movement is mostly antisemitic or has antisemitic supporters.
AJC Concerned over BDS Boost from EU Court’s Labeling Decision, Calls for Deeper EU-Israel Ties
Brussels - 12 November 2019 - The AJC Transatlantic Institute regrets today’s EU Court of Justice decision mandating the labeling of Israeli foodstuffs produced beyond the Green Line. The ruling will likely be instrumentalized by those who seek to delegitimize the Jewish state, which is why it...
Can Europe Help End the UN’s Obsession with Israel?
Every year, the UN Human Rights Council systematically singles out the Jewish state under Item 7 while often turning a blind eye on the world’s most egregious human rights abusers. To discuss this deep flaw undermining the multilateral system and what Europe can do to rectify it, Counterpoint host Daniel Schwammenthal is joined by Israel’s envoy to the EU Aharon Leshno Yaar, who was previously posted in Geneva, and Željana Zovko, Croatian member of the EU Parliament’s foreign affairs committee.
UN Finally Confronts Antisemitism
A first in the world body’s history, a UN human rights expert issued a report dealing exclusively with antisemitism. Writing in The Times of Israel, Felice Gaer, head of AJC's Jacob Blaustein Institute, praised the historic report for confronting antisemitism as a human rights problem. It urges all UN countries to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, including Holocaust denial and the rejection of Israel’s right to exist.
AJC Joins Lawmakers’ Call to Ban Terror-Supporting Events in the EU Parliament
Brussels, 15 October 2019 – The AJC Transatlantic Institute joins a cross-party group of Members of the European Parliament in condemning far-left lawmaker Miguel Urban for hosting in Parliament Ines...
Will the EU Follow Britain in Banning Hezbollah?
Counterpoint host Daniel Schwammenthal is joined by Geoffrey Van Orden, British Member of the European Parliament, and Tommaso Virgili, Visiting Fellow at the Martens Centre for European Studies, to discuss the UK's decision to ban Hezbollah in its entirety and the prospects for the EU to follow suit. Will Brussels end the artificial distinction between the “military” and “political” arms of Iran’s terror proxy?
BDS Is Antisemitic
In his latest article in New Europe, AJC Transatlantic Institute Director Daniel Schwammenthal unmasks the patently antisemitic Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The group seeks nothing less than the de-facto dismemberment of a UN Member State: “Irrespective of whether that state in question is Jewish or say, Irish, to call for its end cannot possibly be considered a “legitimate political position.”